Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to allow people over 70 years old that are asked to stay indoors for an extended period during the covid-19 outbreak to apply for a statutory notification that they will not drive their vehicle during that time in order to receive a refund for any full months of remaining tax; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: The registered keeper of a vehicle can make a Statutory Off Road Notification online, by phone or post to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. When such a notification is received, a refund of any remaining full months vehicle excise duty will be issued to the registered keeper. Advice on how to make a SORN can be found online at GOV.UK.

Repatriation: Aviation

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with representatives of airlines on ensuring that the costs of tickets for repatriation flights are comparable with the price of tickets originally paid by passengers.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Department is working to support the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who are leading the efforts to ensure that British tourists can return home from across the Globe. The Government is working closely with the aviation sector, and we welcome continued efforts by airlines to ensure that passengers can return to the UK. Whilst ticket pricing remains a commercial matter for the airlines, we are monitoring the situation closely.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he plans to issue on the deep cleaning of cars following MOTs when those cars are needed by (a) people in high risk groups to attend urgent medical appointments and (b) essential workers involved in the response to the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has published guidance on GOV.UK for providing MOT tests during the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, as announced on 25 March 2020, the Government is introducing a six-month exemption for all light vehicles due for an MOT test from 30 March 2020 onwards to allow people to continue to travel where essential.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Small Businesses: Yorkshire and the Humber

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Question 25731 on Small Businesses: Coronavirus, how much of the £12 billion will be spent in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is committed to supporting individuals, businesses, and communities affected by the Coronavirus. At Budget, the Chancellor announced £30 billion of support to help deal with the crisis by investing in public services, increasing support for vulnerable people, and providing businesses with tax reliefs and loans. Significant further actions have since been announced, including: a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme allowing small and large employers to apply for a Government grant covering 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month; cash grants of up to £25,000 for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000; and deferral of the next quarter of VAT payments for firms, until the end of June 2020, representing a £30 billion injection for employers. Many of these measures are demand-led and their use will depend on decisions taken by individual businesses. As such, it is not possible to determine in advance how much will be spent in any particular region.

Insurance: Coronavirus

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) representatives of the insurance industry on compensation for businesses affected by the outbreak of covid 19.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is well prepared for this type of outbreak. The Department is frequently communicating with business representative organisations, including the Association of British Insurers, to gain current intelligence on Covid-19 and its impact on businesses. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are currently working together to take all necessary steps to understand the effect of Covid-19 and to respond. Last week, the Government confirmed that for those businesses which do have a policy that covers pandemics, the Government’s action is sufficient and will allow businesses to make an insurance claim against their policy.

Hygiene: Products

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure retailers do not unnecessarily raise prices of (a) hand sanitiser, (b) hand soap, (c) disposable masks, (d) antibacterial wipes and (e) other anti-bacterial products.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 5 March, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued a public statement to reassure UK businesses and consumers that it is monitoring retail practices during the Coronavirus outbreak. The CMA will take direct enforcement action, or advise the Government to take additional measures, if required.

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to support independent convenience store (a) owners and (b) workers affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of Government-backed and guaranteed loans to support UK businesses. For example, from 1 April 2020 businesses of all sizes in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors will pay no business rates in England for 12 months. In addition to the Small Business Grant Scheme, we will also provide small businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors with a higher grant of £25,000 per business, if they have a rateable value of under £51,000. Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers with a PAYE scheme will be able to access financial support, so they can continue to pay their employees’ salaries where they may otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. This applies to employees who have been asked to stop working, but who are being kept on the payroll, otherwise described as furloughed workers. The Government will reimburse 80% of their wages, up to £2,500 per month to safeguard workers from being made redundant. On 26 March, the Chancellor announced the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, which will support individuals and members of partnerships whose income has negatively been impacted by the Coronavirus. HMRC will use the average profits from tax returns in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 to calculate the size of the grant. The Scheme will be open to those where the majority of their income comes from self-employment and who have profits of less than £50,000. We have also made changes to the welfare system, increasing Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by £1,000 a year. We have suspended the minimum income floor for 12 months – meaning every self-employed person can now access Universal Credit at a rate that is equivalent to statutory Sick Pay. Public Health England have published further advice for employers and employees regarding Covid-19 at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19

Business: Government Assistance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide direct payroll subsidies to ensure that no businesses will need to terminate the contracts of (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed staff; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is clear that we must support people in work to do the right thing during this Covid-19 outbreak. It is essential that we support businesses who are experiencing increased costs and disrupted cashflow as a result of Coronavirus. The Government has introduced a host of new measures to help businesses in this period, with £330 billion worth of Government-backed and guaranteed loans to support UK businesses. Businesses can ring the Business Support Helpine for further advice on the support available. Alongside this, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will help to pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover 80% of wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500, for their workforce who remain on payroll but are temporarily not working due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of administrative tasks the Government requires of small businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government has announced various measures to reduce burdens on businesses of all sizes during the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes an announcement on 25 March, in conjunction with Companies House, allowing companies to apply for a three-month extension to file their accounts through a simplified online system. Further measures are being developed and will be announced soon.

Climate Change Convention: Glasgow

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that the COP26 summit will still be held in Glasgow in November 2020 despite the covid-19 outbreak.

Kwasi Kwarteng: COVID-19 is clearly reducing the scope for in-person international meetings, which we will seek to manage as far as possible through other means such as video and phone conferences. Given this is an evolving situation we are keeping the situation under careful review and are in frequent contact with the UN, Chile (as current COP Presidents) and other partners."

Remote Working: Coronavirus

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy,  what guidance his Department has published on facilitating working from home for businesses that do not normally have such working practices in place.

Paul Scully: The Government has advised that people should be working from home where it is possible to do so. Existing employment law already gives employees the right to request flexible working, which includes remote working. Businesses and employees can get advice on individual employment issues by visiting the Acas website and the latest advice on homeworking is published there. Businesses can also ring the BEIS Business Support Line for further advice on support for business.

Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) new regulations have been introduced and (b) existing regulations have been abolished in each of the last four years.

Paul Scully: BEIS does not have policy oversight for all regulations and does not maintain a central database of all those made and repealed. Information on all secondary legislation is available at www.legislation.gov.uk.The annual business impact target reports available on GOV.UK include details of the regulatory provisions impacting business that have come into force or ceased to be in force since 2015.

Package Holidays: Repayments

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that small travel companies can afford to process refund requests from customers that booked holidays under the Package Holiday Charter.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the extremely difficult circumstances small travel companies are currently facing, which is why on 17 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a wide range of support for businesses, in addition to the £30bn support announced in the budget. The Government is keeping package travel regulations under review and are collecting intelligence on how businesses are adapting to these challenges.

Supermarkets: Protective Clothing

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking with supermarkets to ensure that supermarket workers that engage with shoppers are provided with (a) protective equipment and (b) other forms of support they may need to carry out their work during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is clear that we will support people in work during the Covid-19 outbreak. We are regular engaging with industry stakeholders, including the British Retail Consortium and supermarket CEOs, to ensure they are well prepared and that their operations remain in line with the latest health guidance. The Government is collaborating with businesses across the manufacturing sector to ensure additional personal protective equipment (PPE) can be provided to frontline workers as quickly as possible to ensure their safety. While PPE supplies are currently being prioritised for health and social care workers, we are working to ensure additional requirements for PPE and consumables can continue to be sourced through normal distributors. Food shops that remain open at this time will be expected to comply with social distancing requirements This approach is clinically led, based on the expert advice of the UK’s Chief Medical Officer.

Mhi Vestas

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will meet the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight and representatives of Solent LEP to discuss the future of MHI Vestas' site on the Isle of Wight.

Kwasi Kwarteng: I should be very happy to meet with the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight and representatives of Solent LEP, by teleconference, to discuss the future of the MHI Vestas’ site. My office will be in touch to arrange a suitable date.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Morocco: Coronavirus

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Morrocan on facilitating the repatriation of UK nationals from that country.

James Cleverly: We are working intensively with the Governments of those countries that have closed their borders to people travelling to and from the UK, to enable airlines to bring back British people to the UK, if that is what they want. I spoke to the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, on 18 March to ask for additional flights to enter and leave Morocco. The British Embassy in Rabat has been working with tour operators and airlines to encourage them to offer additional flights, last week we facilitated 49 flights, taking 8,520 passengers to the UK. The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we are focused on supporting those around the world who are being affected by the restrictions being put in place.

Jamal Khashoggi

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the value of the UK assets and investments of those implicated in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

James Cleverly: We do not comment on individual cases.

Saudi Arabia: Females

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has he made of the effect of the continued detention of female activists in Saudi Arabia on human rights in that country; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: We are concerned about the continued detention of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, and allegations that activists have been subject to torture during detention. The Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about the ongoing detention of political detainees, including women's rights defenders, during his visit to Riyadh on 4 and 5 March. We will continue to raise concerns.

Saudi Arabia: Females

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he made of the risk to female British tourists visiting Saudi Arabia.

James Cleverly: We welcome Saudi Arabia's recent reforms supporting greater female participation in Saudi society, including through the expansion of education and employment opportunities. However, women's rights in Saudi Arabia still fall short of international standards. We continue to raise our concerns about women's rights with the Saudi authorities along with broader human rights issues, most recently by the Foreign Secretary during his visit earlier this month. We have not issued any travel advice specifically for British women visiting Saudi Arabia.

Prince Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the detention of Prince Turki bin Abdullah.

James Cleverly: We continue to monitor the cases of political detainees in Saudi Arabia, including Prince Turki bin Abdullah. We regularly raise human rights issues with Saudi Arabia, most recently by the Foreign Secretary during his visit earlier this month.

Northern Cyprus: Christianity

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the (a) findings  and (b) recommendations in the Bishop of Truro’s Review into the Persecution of Christians Worldwide relating to the persecution of Christians in the northern part of Cyprus.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief, and promoting respect between communities of different religions and those of no religion. The British Government has accepted all the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro's review. Work is ongoing to implement the recommendations in a way that will bring real improvements to the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief. The UK has supported the work of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage in the northern part of Cyprus. This committee was created under the auspices of the United Nations and works to promote and protect the cultural heritage of the island of Cyprus. This includes preservation of religious sites in the north of Cyprus.

Northern Cyprus: Christianity

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on freedom of Christian worship in the northern part of Cyprus.

Wendy Morton: On 3 March, the Foreign Secretary met Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu. The two Foreign Ministers discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including human rights. We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression. We will continue to engage the Turkish government on these issues and to urge respect for Freedom of Religion or Belief. Defending persecuted Christians, and persecuted individuals of all faiths or beliefs wherever they are based, remains a long standing priority for the British Government.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Intensive Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase (a) the number of ventilators and (b) ICU capacity.

Edward Argar: It is the Government’s priority that the National Health Service has appropriate equipment to respond to COVID-19. This includes the provision of intensive care beds. The Department is working closely with NHS England and the devolved administrations to ensure this is achieved.NHS England is actively assessing the critical care capacity of NHS organisations and the availability of additional facilities in the independent sector. It is working to ensure that hospitals have as much ventilation equipment as required and, crucially, the skilled and trained people to use it.A new temporary hospital - the NHS Nightingale hospital – will open at the Excel Centre in London next week. It will have capacity for 4,000 people.Two new temporary hospitals will be set up at Birmingham's NEC and the Manchester conference centre and will be ready next month.NHS England has agreed a major deal with the nation’s independent hospitals. The deal – the first of its kind ever - includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England and nearly 1,200 more ventilators.We have been buying up ventilation equipment since the start of the crisis. NHS England expects soon to have just short of 12,000 ventilators available and we have asked the nation’s advanced manufacturers to join a national effort to produce more.Information on critical care bed capacity is published by NHS England and can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/critical-care-capacity/

Coronavirus: Hospital Beds

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional critical care beds the NHS has made available in (a) the North West, (b) Liverpool City Region, (c) Merseyside and (d) Wirral since the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



The National Health Service is scaling up the number of intensive care beds. There are currently 3,771 critical care beds in the NHS in England. As part of the readiness for the likely influx of more COVID-19 patients, the NHS is taking concerted action to free up to a third of its 100,000 general and acute beds.In addition, NHS England has agreed a major deal with the nation’s independent hospitals. The deal – the first of its kind ever - includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England and nearly 1,200 more ventilators.A new temporary hospital - the NHS Nightingale hospital – will open at the Excel Centre in London next week. It will have capacity for 4,000 people.Two new temporary hospitals will be set up at Birmingham's NEC and the Manchester conference centre and will be ready next month.The NHS is making sure that not just overall hospital beds but particularly intensive care beds, operating theatres, recovery bays being repurposed, mechanical ventilation and other facilities across the hospital sector are expanded to the greatest possible extent so that the NHS can do all it possibly can.Data on the number of critical care beds made available in the North West, Liverpool City Region, Merseyside and Wirral since the COVID-19 outbreak is not currently available.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women with complications following an abortion at a (a) British Pregnancy Advisory Service and (b) Marie Stopes International clinic between July (i) 2017 and (ii) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



Data on the number of women with complications following an abortion at a British Pregnancy Advisory Service and Marie Stopes International clinic between 1 July 2017 and 31 December 2018 is attached. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the number of complications following an abortion in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on 11 June at 9:30am.



pq32117  table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.52 KB)

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the abortion rate was for 18-19 year old women per 1,000 in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 18 to 19 years in 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table. Abortion statistics for 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017 The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 18 to 19 years in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 is due to be published on 11 June. 



32120 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 26.41 KB)

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complications were reported by women who underwent a medical abortion after ingesting (a) mifepristone as the first step of a medical abortion and (b) misoprostol as the second step of a medical abortion in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The number of medical abortions for 2017 and 2018 with complications recorded on the abortion notification form where antiprogesterone and prostaglandin were recorded as prescribed is in the attached table. Mifepristone is a type of antiprogesterone and misoprostal is a type of prostaglandin. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on complications in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 is due to be published on 11 June.



32121 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.17 KB)

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women who had an abortion in 2019 had one or more previous abortions.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



Data on how many women who had an abortion in 2019 had one or more previous abortions is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on 11 June at 9:30am. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-residents received abortions in England and Wales in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, and (c) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



Data on the number of legal abortions performed on non-residents of England and Wales in 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table.Abortion statistics for 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017The vast majority of non-resident abortions are paid for privately.The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the number of legal abortions performed on non-residents of England and Wales in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on 11 June at 9:30am.



pq32131 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.04 MB)

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Schools

Mary Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the Palestinian Authority on the Authority's internal review of the content of its national curriculum after reports of antisemitic and extremist content.

James Cleverly: The UK government is deeply concerned about the allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks.The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month, where they also discussed the Palestinian Authority’s own textbook review.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to allow flexibility for apprenticeship training providers and colleges in the event of employers restricting access to their workforce in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contractual and financial flexibilities he will put in place for training providers and colleges to ensure that the apprenticeship provider base is sustained during the covid-19 outbreak.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what steps he will take to support the income of apprenticeship training providers and colleges in the event that contracts can’t be fulfilled as a result of a reduction in participation.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what flexibility there will be for post-sixteen training providers and colleges from Ofsted inspections during the covid-19 outbreak.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to introduce flexibility into the process of apprenticeship observations during the covid-19 outbreak.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the spread of covid-19 on (a) colleges and independent training providers and (b) subcontractors delivering courses under the Adult Education Budget; and what financial support will be offered to providers by his Department to safeguard provision for adult learners for the remainder of the academic year 2019-20.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of emergency funding that further education and sixth form colleges will require to prevent them from having to close during the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



The department is very grateful to education providers who are responding to the unique challenge of COVID-19, including making provision to continue support for vulnerable children and key workers following the announcement of 18 March. Clearly, there will be a substantial financial impact on the sector, which requires a strong response. Firstly, where there are current planned payment profiles, we are seeking to provide stability. The Education and Skills Funding Agency will continue to pay grant-funded providers their scheduled monthly payments for the remainder of the year. Allocations for 2020/21 will have been confirmed by the end of March and payments will made as profiled. We are also looking to put in place a process for providing reimbursement for additional costs imposed by responding to COVID-19. Secondly, we want to ensure that apprentices can continue and complete their apprenticeship, wherever possible, despite any break that they have to take as a result of COVID-19. We are committed to working with training providers, end-point assessment organisations and external quality assurance organisations to mitigate the operational and financial impacts of this disruption and maintain the integrity of apprenticeships. We have published apprenticeship guidance and this is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response. For other funding streams, we will be making decisions on where existing rules and models may need to be modified in relation to any planned reconciliation and future year allocations. For colleges in significant financial difficulties, the existing support arrangements remain in place including through short-term solvency support through emergency funding. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has also announced a series of wider measures to support employers and employees, recognising the significant impacts caused by COVID-19. Education, training and assessment providers who operate as businesses or charities are able to access the package of measures to support businesses. Details of this support are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses. We are working closely with HM Treasury to monitor how the support packages are benefitting organisations and to consider any further action which may be required.To provide more detailed information for further education providers, we have published operational guidance available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision.

Nurseries: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support he is providing to nurseries.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether local authorities will continue funding free childcare entitlements throughout the covid-19 outbreak.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to provide childcare support to key workers during the covid-19 outbreak if nurseries are forced to close.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to take steps to provide emergency childcare in cases where all adult members of a household are hospitalised as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



Childcare providers are making a vital contribution in our fight against COVID-19. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 18 March, they will continue to do so by focusing on childcare for the children of critical workers, and vulnerable children. To assist this change, the Department for Education has confirmed that it will not claw back funding from local authorities for any periods of closures where settings are closed or children are not able to attend due to COVID-19. The government expects local authorities to follow the department’s position, and continue early years entitlements funding for childminders, pre-schools and nurseries. This should also apply to those infant and primary schools that deliver the early years entitlements. This will minimise short-term disruptions to early years providers’ finances and allow the system to recover more quickly.The Chancellor has also announced a package of support for businesses that will include many early years and childcare providers. This includes business rates relief, a range of loans and grants and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This scheme allows all UK employers access to support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month.We have also issued guidance for local authorities and providers about childcare for specific groups. However, we recognise that when all adults in a household are hospitalised, and there are no family and friends able to provide support, children may need to be cared for in emergency and temporary foster care until parents recover.The department continues to work alongside Public Health England and early years and children’s social care sector representatives to ensure support is in place for children that need it, and that all measures taken are in the best interests of the health of our nation.

Children in Care: Reviews

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will undertake a review of looked after children which includes the views of children in the care system.

Vicky Ford: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 12 February, made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The Written Ministerial Statement is available at the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2020-02-12/HCWS110/.We will ensure the review reflects the experiences of those who have needed a social worker and been in care, putting children, young people and their families at its centre. We are continuing to develop the scope of the review and are committed to undertaking it at the earliest opportunity. We are considering the next steps on the review in light of the ongoing urgent response to COVID-19.

Students: Assessments

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure that students who were entered into exams that have been cancelled as external candidates can get qualifications.

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that home educated pupils can secure public examination grades in 2019-20.

Nick Gibb: As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced to the House on 18 March, the Government has taken the difficult decision to cancel all examinations due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer, as part of the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus.The Department’s priority is to ensure that students can move on as planned to the next stage of their lives, including starting university, college or sixth form courses or apprenticeships, in the autumn. For GCSE, AS and A-level students, we will make sure they are awarded a grade which reflects their work. Our intention is that a grade will be awarded this summer based on the best available evidence, including any non-examination assessment that students have already completed. Students will also have the option to sit an examination, as soon as is reasonably possible after the beginning of the academic year, if they wish to do so.The independent regulator of qualifications, Ofqual, is working urgently with examination boards to set out proposals for how this process will work and to look at the options available in relation to external candidates, including home educated students.Further information will be published as soon as possible.

Education: Coronavirus

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the practical implications of maintaining safeguarding checks for adults working with children in the event that education providers share staffing resources during the covid-19 oubreak.

Vicky Ford: It is essential that schools and colleges continue with their statutory duties regarding safer recruitment during the COVID-19 state. Schools and colleges are still required to ensure that those working in their settings are suitable to work in the children’s workforce. The department has published safeguarding guidance, to help schools and colleges who are providing care for vulnerable children and children of critical workers to keep those children (anyone under the age of 18) safe whilst they are at school or college:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-safeguarding-in-schools-colleges-and-other-providersThis guidance includes advice on the portability of Disclosure and Barring Service checks where members of the school or college workforce are already engaging in regulated activity and have the appropriate check for that workforce. Schools and colleges should carry out a risk assessment in these circumstances as they would for a volunteer. Where schools and colleges are utilising volunteers, they should continue to follow the checking and risk assessment process as set out in the statutory safeguarding guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Schools: Coronavirus

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) one or (b) both parents are required to be classed as key workers for a child to attend school during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: The Department has recently published guidance for parents and carers in relation to the closure of educational settings, and this is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers.The current guidance confirms that children with at least one parent or carer who is critical to the COVID-19 response can attend an education or childcare setting if necessary. However, many families with a parent or carer working in critical sectors will be able to ensure their child is kept at home. Every child who can be safely cared for at home should be, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.

Ministry of Justice

Homicide: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been murdered by people that were previously convicted of attempted murder and then released having served their prison sentences in each of the last 20 years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious further offences were committed by offenders that were automatically released from prison in each of the last three years.

Lucy Frazer: Serious Further Offences (SFOs) are rare. Less than 0.5% of offenders under statutory supervision are convicted of an SFO; for murder, the proportion will be lower. Nonetheless, every single SFO is taken extremely seriously, and in all cases a review is carried out to identify any necessary actions which need to be taken to improve the management of other cases. PQ 32649The most recent data available are for the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2018 and relate only relates to convictions for SFOs by offenders under the supervision of the Probation Service at the time they committed the SFO. There have been no people murdered by an offender during their period of supervision following release from prison for the offence of attempted murder. There may be a small number of cases where the offender might have had a previous conviction for attempted murder, but these cases will not have been captured by the SFO Review Procedures. PQ 32664 The table below shows how many SFOs were committed (convictions) by offenders that were automatically released from prison between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2018, which are the most recent data available. We will publish conviction data for 2018/19 in October 2020. YearNumber of offenders convicted of a SFO following an automatic release from prison1 April 2015 – 31 March 20161151 April 2016 – 31 March 20171641 April 2017 – 31 April 2018145Data Sources and Quality. We have drawn these figures from administrative IT systems which, as with some large-scale recording systems, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processingThe data do not include a small number of offenders who were (i) sentenced to a hospital order, (ii) died before the conclusion of criminal proceedings (iii) sentenced to an extended determinate sentence or an extended sentence for public protection who may have been released by the Parole Board and (iv) released automatically from prison, who were then recalled to prison and re-released via a decision by the Parole Board or by executive release by the Public Protection Casework Section prior to committing the SFO.The data do include any offender who was sentenced to imprisonment of under 12 months, who may have been released directly onto post sentence supervision (PSS) rather than a licence.

Terrorism: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of an offence under the (a) Terrorism Act 2000 and (b) Terrorism Act 2006 had previously been convicted of an offence under those Acts in each of the last five years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences under the (a) Terrorism Act 2000 and (b) Terrorism Act 2006 was for an offender convicted of committing a further offence under those Acts and not given an immediate custodial sentence in each of the last five years; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each of those cases.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences was under the (a) Terrorism Act 2000 and (b) Terrorism Act 2006 committed by an offender before an immediate custodial sentence for a further offence under these Acts was handed down in each of the last five years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences under the (a) Terrorism Act 2000 and (b) Terrorism Act 2006 was for an offender sentenced for a further offence under those Acts in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: In answer to your first question, between January 2013 and March 2020, 6 individuals convicted of a terrorist offence (who have been convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 2006) have been released from prison and have been convicted of a further terrorist offence (under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 2006) in England and Wales. Unfortunately, we will be unable to break down this figure further as it may reveal sensitive personal data. We use a range of rehabilitation approaches to manage terrorists before and after they are released from custody and use a robust multi-agency approach to monitor extremists released into the community. Our new legislation means terrorists now face tougher sentences, will stay in prison for longer and be subject to the strictest possible conditions on release. In answer to your second, third and fourth questions, obtaining the necessary information to answer these questions involves accessing the secure Police National Computer (PNC) system, which my relevant officials are unable to do at this time in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I will write to the Hon Member in due course with the information requested, once my officials are able to safely access the PNC system, and will place a copy of my letter in the library of the House.

Prisoners' Release: Curfews

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average period of home detention curfew was in each of the last five years for those released early from prison that were sentenced to (a) less than or equal to six months, (b) greater than six months and less than 12 months, (c) 12 months to less than two years and (d) two years to less than four years.

Chris Philp: HDC allows prisoners to be released up to 135 days before their automatic release date at the halfway point of their sentence, to work towards rehabilitation and resettlement in the community, while remaining subject to strict conditions. The attached table shows the average number of days spent on HDC by offenders released in the last four years for which annual data is available (2015 to 2018), reliable data is not available for 2014.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.95 KB)

Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisoners released from prison during the covid-19 outbreak are being tested for that disease before release.

Lucy Frazer: Public health authorities decide whether to carry out tests on individual prisoners and there are no plans to test prisoners for COVID-19 before they are released from prison. This is in line with PHE guidance which states that requests for laboratory testing of individuals must meet the criteria for a possible case of COVID-19. We are working closely with PHE and will continue to follow their guidance.

Pre-sentence Reports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2020 to Question 13952 on Pre-sentence Reports, how many (a) women and (b) men's pre-sentence reports contained a recommendation of (i) immediate custody, (ii) suspended custody and (iii) a community order .

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of pre-sentence reports presented to Magistrates Courts contained a sentence recommendation of (a) immediate custody, (b) suspended custody and (c) a community order in the years ending (i) September 2016; (ii) September 2017 and (iii) September 2018 for (A) male and (B) female offenders.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested has been provided in the tables below showing the number and proportion of recommendations in pre-sentence reports prepared for Magistrates courts for the years ending September 2016, September 2017, September 2018 and September 2019 where the sentence proposed was Community Order, Immediate Custody or Suspended Custody for Male and Female Offenders.It should be noted that these figures are based on all pre-sentence reports for which a sentence was given and that the total number of proposed sentences also includes instances where a fine was the proposed sentence.Female OffendersCommunity OrderImmediate CustodySuspended CustodyAll Proposed Sentences201612,04477%4603%2,65317%15,72020179,79075%4013%2,36618%13,014201810,08683%3012%1,37111%12,188201910,78595%1221%450%11,355 Male OffendersCommunity OrderImmediate CustodySuspended CustodyAll Proposed Sentences201660,31273%4,2115%16,14519%82,949201748,20971%3,3285%14,73122%68,022201850,72080%2,5464%8,19212%63,026201955,12395%1,5593%2750%58,231(1) Excludes breach, deferred sentence and court review reports.(2) Community Orders includes all pre-Criminal Justice Act 2003 community sentences.(3) Excludes pre-sentence reports where information on the proposed sentence is not available.(4) Excludes pre-sentence reports where the proposed sentence was an absolute/conditional discharge or other sentence.(5) The total for proposed sentences includes fines.

Open Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February to Question 14640 on Open Prisons, how many (a) male and (b) female Cat-D prisoners committed offences in each category listed; and how many of those prisoners committed each offence in the violence against the person category.

Lucy Frazer: The attached document shows a breakdown of the sentenced prison population recorded as having a Category D individual-level security category, by category of offence, as at 31 December 2019, England & Wales. This includes 'Female Open' and 'YOI Open' categorised prisoners. It should be noted that whilst the majority of these prisoners would be held in open conditions (either in open prisons, or on open wings within closed prisons) a number of these prisoners would be in non-open conditions while awaiting transfer to open conditions.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.75 KB)

Priosners: Homosexuality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2020 to Question 14649, on Prisoners: Homosexuality, how many of each type of offence those prisoners that identified as (a) gay and (b) lesbian had committed,  broken down by type of offence in the violence against the person category.

Lucy Frazer: The attached table provides a breakdown of the main sentence for which those who have self-identified as gay or lesbian were imprisoned. Prisoners provide this information by choice and are not obliged to do so. Regardless of an individual’s sexuality, we expect that they will be treated equally within the Criminal Justice System. We are committed to ensuring that all prisoners are treated fairly, lawfully and decently, with their rights and safety properly respected.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.27 KB)

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2020 to Question 519 on Prisoners' Release, how many offenders were released in each of the last three years; and what the average (a) number of releases per offender and (b) period of release was.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2020 to Question 519, on Prisoners' Release, how many of the offenders that were released on temporary licence had committed each type of offence.

Lucy Frazer: Release on temporary licence (ROTL) is proven to reduce reoffending, helping offenders build and maintain family ties as well as find work. Table 1 shows the number of releases, the number of individuals released, the average number of releases per prisoner and the average duration of release for all releases from 2016 to 2018. Table 2 gives the number of individuals released on temporary licence during this period by main offence group.



Table 1. 33466
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.81 KB)




Table 2. 33467
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.46 KB)

Domestic Abuse: Children

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of children in the youth justice system who have experienced domestic abuse.

Lucy Frazer: Although the Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the number of children in the youth justice system who have experienced domestic abuse, we are aware that domestic abuse is a risk factor for this group of children. Youth Offending Teams are at the forefront of working with vulnerable children and, when conducting assessments on children who come into contact with the youth justice system, they will examine the child’s background and experience, particularly their living arrangements and family and personal relationships.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure prison staff, prisoners and visitors are adhering to social-distancing advice in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review guidance on prison visits to ensure the health and safety of prison staff, prisoners and visitors in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Lucy Frazer: In line with the latest Government advice, as of 24 March all non-essential activities in prisons involving groups of people should be stopped. This includes social visits, education, non-essential work, association, communal dining, periods of mass prisoner movement, religious services and access to the gymnasium. Guidance on these temporary measures has been issued to both staff and prisoners.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: USA

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure the maintenance of International Labour Organization conventions ratified by the UK in any future trade agreement with the US; and if she will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The UK upholds its international labour standard commitments through domestic legislation and any Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) which the UK finalises with other countries will not change those commitments. In our publication ‘Public Negotiating Objectives’ we made clear that both parties reaffirm their commitment to international labour standards, as is common practice in FTAs. We will include measures which allow the UK to maintain the integrity, and provide meaningful protection, of our world-leading labour standards.

Trade Agreements: USA

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is her Department's policy to exclude contracts for the delivery of (a) NHS and (b) other public services from future trade negotiations with the US; and if she will make it her policy to (a) commit to a positive list approach and (b) not commit to an investor-state dispute settlement in those negotiations.

Greg Hands: As outlined in the Government’s approach to trade negotiations with the US published on 2 March 2020, ‘The Government has been clear that when we are negotiating trade agreements, the NHS will not be on the table.’­The UK’s public services, including the NHS, are protected by specific exclusions, exceptions and reservations in the trade agreements to which the UK is a party, which make use of both positive and negative listing approaches. The UK will continue to ensure that the same rigorous protections are included in future trade agreements.The UK’s international procurement obligations specifically exclude Health and Social care services. This will not change in any future trade deal.Regarding listing and dispute resolution, these are for formal negotiations and we would not seek to pre-empt these discussions.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support the Government plans to offer to homelessness service providers facing (a) increased demand and (b) reduced fundraising income during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Luke Hall: The Government recognises the challenges faced by those who are homeless or sleeping rough during the Covid-19 outbreak. We are working closely with local authorities and the sector to minimise the risk for vulnerable people and as a first step we have announced £3.2 million in emergency funding for local authorities to help rough sleepers and those at risk of sleeping rough to self-isolate.   A further £1.6 billion of additional funding will be allocated to local authorities to enable them to respond to Covid-19, including stepping up support for the adult social care workforce and for services helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people.We will be working closely with local authorities to develop an ongoing assessment of costs.

Council Housing: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authority housing officers are classified as key workers during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Pincher: The Government published guidance on GOV.UK on 19 March setting out how the children of those whose work is critical to the Covid-19 response can continue to receive support from schools if they cannot be safely cared for at home.Housing Officers undertake a wide range of roles and their responsibilities can vary significantly between local authority landlords, so it is for local authorities to determine whether their role is considered to be critical under the terms of the guidance.The guidance is clear that if workers think they fall within the critical categories, they should confirm with their employer that their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

Department for Work and Pensions

Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether carer's allowance payments are eligible to be counted towards the £118 earnings threasehold for statutory sick pay.

Justin Tomlinson: An employer is liable to pay Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they have paid their employee at least £118 per week on average. State benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance are therefore not eligible to be counted towards the £118 earnings threshold for SSP.We have a safety-net, through the welfare system, for those who are not eligible for SSP. We are already making sure that benefits are easily accessible and more supportive for those who need to make a claim.

Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has provided on which employer is responsible for statutory sick pay for employees who have more than one job.

Justin Tomlinson: Employees with more than one job may receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from each employer if they meet all eligibility criteria in each case. Guidance regarding this is available here: https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/what-youll-get

Universal Credit: Habitual Residence Test

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for universal credit required a habitual residence test; and of those claims how many have been closed as a result of failing that test in each month since July 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below gives UC claims with an associated HRT, whether the claimant passed the HRT, failed or the outcome could not be determined. Of these, the number of UC claims that were closed due to failing the HRT. The UC data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution. Month claim declaredUC Full Service claims with an associated HRTUC Full Service claims closed due to failing the HRTJul-1821,7002,700Aug-1822,7002,700Sep-1825,2002,800Oct-1830,4003,500Nov-1831,8003,700Dec-1827,6003,200Jan-1941,9004,800Feb-1936,2004,400Mar-1937,2004,600Apr-1933,7003,800May-1935,9003,800Jun-1933,2003,600Jul-1936,4003,900Aug-1932,5003,300Sep-1936,9003,300Oct-1938,1003,800Nov-1932,9003,400Notes:Figures are taken from Management Information on Universal Credit Full Service claims.All figures are rounded to the nearest 100.The month used in this data is the month in which the UC claim was declared (regardless of when the closure for the claim occurred because of a failed HRT)Information on Universal Credit Full service claims may be subject to future change; this is because claim data may be entered retrospectively for past months. Any retrospective changes are most likely to affect recent months; for this reason, we have provided data up to the end of November 2019.Subtracting the number of HRT fails from the total number of UC HRTs undertaken would not provide the number of HRT passes, as this also includes HRTs where the outcome could not be determined, for example, a claim was withdrawn before the HRT result was recorded

Statutory Sick Pay

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the weekly Statutory Sick Pay rate prior to its planned uprating on 6 April 2020.

Justin Tomlinson: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be uprated on 6 April 2020 in line with inflation from £94.25 per week to £95.85. SSP provides financial support to an employee when they are off work sick. Those on low pay can receive more help through the welfare system, depending on their personal circumstances.

Personal Independence Payment: Coronavirus

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the feasibility of allowing personal independence payments to continue without assessment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Justin Tomlinson: As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pets: Imports

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of relaxing restrictions on the transportation of pets for British nationals repatriating to the UK as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Prentis: Defra is monitoring the situation and at the current time we do not consider there to be a need to relax restrictions on the transportation of pets for British nationals repatriating to the UK as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We will continue to monitor this closely and will consider specific cases where individuals are not able to fulfil the requirements. Protecting biosecurity and the health of the UK pet population remains a high priority.

Fisheries: Coronavirus

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the fishing industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Prentis: The Government fully understands the importance of EU and global export markets for the UK’s fishing and seafood industry, in particular the shellfish sector. We are actively monitoring the impacts of Covid-19 and related control measures with significant input from industry stakeholders. We are urgently considering measures to help mitigate the impact of the current situation on all sectors of the seafood and fisheries sectors. The Chancellor has announced a substantial package of measures to help UK businesses and the self-employed sector. These measures, which include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme are available to the fisheries and aquaculture sector throughout the UK.

Supermarkets: Coronavirus

Laura Farris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish guidance to supermarkets on maintaining supplies of essential items.

Victoria Prentis: The Government has well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply situations. Our retailers already have highly-resilient supply chains and they are working around the clock to ensure people have the food and products they need. Industry is adapting quickly to any changes in demands, and food supply into and across the UK is resilient. The Secretary of State is holding regular conversations with industry, including the British Retail Consortium and supermarket Chief Executives, to discuss any additional support the Government can provide. To help supermarkets respond to this unprecedented demand we have already introduced new measures to keep food supply flowing. We have issued guidance to local authorities to allow extended delivery hours to supermarkets so that shelves can be filled up quicker, and we have implemented extensions to drivers’ hours. We are also temporarily relaxing certain elements of competition law to ensure retailers are able to collaborate effectively in the national interest. We fully recognise the additional pressures on our food supply chain as a result of recent events. The UK’s major supermarkets have last weekend issued a statement to encourage everyone to shop as they normally would, and pull together to support those staying at home. We will continue to work closely with the industry over the coming days and months.

Supermarkets: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the supermarket industry on introducing mobile supermarkets to enable key workers to shop for food at (a) hospitals, (b) schools, (c) police stations and (d) other places of work.

Victoria Prentis: The Government has well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply situations. Our retailers already have highly resilient supply chains and they are working around the clock to ensure people have the food and products they need. Industry is adapting quickly to these changes in demands, and food supply into and across the UK is resilient. The Government has not had discussions with industry on introducing mobile supermarkets to enable key workers to shop for food. We welcome efforts by supermarkets to ensure that key workers can continue to get the food and groceries they need and will continue to work with industry to discuss any additional support Government can provide. To help industry respond to this unprecedented demand we have introduced other measures to keep food supply flowing. We have issued guidance to local authorities to allow extended delivery hours to supermarkets so that shelves can be filled up more quickly, and we have implemented extensions to drivers’ hours. We are also temporarily relaxing certain elements of competition law to ensure retailers are able to collaborate effectively in the national interest. Representatives of our leading supermarkets have asked customers to shop considerately and we echo their call.

Supermarkets: Coronavirus

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will encourage supermarkets to include care workers in reserved shopping hours.

Victoria Prentis: The Government has well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply situations. Our retailers already have highly resilient supply chains and they are working around the clock to ensure people have the food and products they need. Industry is adapting quickly to these changes in demands, and food supply into and across the UK is resilient. To help the industry to respond to this unprecedented demand we have introduced new measures to support businesses to keep food supply flowing on to shelves and into homes. These include temporary relaxation of competition laws to allow supermarkets to work together, extending delivery hours to supermarkets and flexing rules on drivers’ hours to allow a higher frequency of deliveries to stores to ensure shelves are being replenished more quickly. We are in close contact with industry to discuss further ways to help with their preparations, including how they can support key workers.

Home Office

Immigrants: Coronavirus

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to provide a support package for migrants in the UK without access to public funds during the covid-19 outbreak.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak. We are continually reviewing the situation to consider what more can be done.Individuals who have leave to remain on human rights grounds can already apply to have their no recourse to public funds condition lifted if they would otherwise be destitute. We are working to ensure that those who are eligible to have the condition lifted can have a decision taken as swiftly as possible.Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases.Covid-19 has been added to the list of communicable diseases so anyone experiencing symptoms regardless of their immigration status will be treated for free.A dedicated covid-19 immigration help-centre has been set up to deal with queries. The best way to contact the help-centre is via email on CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Treasury

Pay: Coronavirus

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to cover staff wages for small and medium-sized businesses as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to encourage employers not to make their staff as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to issue guidance to businesses on the process for applying for the grants and loans announced by his Department to help businesses with the economic effects of covid-19.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether financial support will be made available to businesses that do not take on a coronavirus business interruption loan due to concerns over the potential long-term economic effects of repayment of that loan.

John Glen: The government has set out an unprecedented package of support for all businesses affected by this crisis. Businesses, including SMEs, will benefit from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Statutory Sick Pay refunds and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme alongside tax cuts and direct grants.Further detail of the business support package can be found at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk.More information on claiming for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

VE Day: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether VE Day celebrations will be (a) cancelled or (b) postponed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make statement.

Mr John Whittingdale: The government announced on 20 March that the national commemorations to mark VE Day 75 are being scaled back due to the ongoing spread of coronavirus. The UK Government and the Devolved Administrations are working on plans to ensure the nation can mark VE Day in May and provide a fitting tribute to the Second World War generation.

VE Day: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to issue guidance on holding VE Day celebrations to Royal British Legions as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: In light of the COVID- 19 outbreak, all VE Day 75 event organisers should follow the guidance and advice that is regularly being issued and updated by the Government and Public Health England. The Government is working closely with the Royal British Legion which has issued up to date advice to its branches.

Youth Investment Fund: Coronavirus

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Budget 2020, whether he has updated his plans for the £500 million Youth Investment Fund as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: DCMS officials are rapidly assessing how the impact of Covid-19 will affect the delivery of the Youth Investment Fund in 2020 and beyond.